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Michael Bay, Shia LaBeouf Weigh in on Megan Fox "Transformers" Firing

Megan Fox‘s swift departure from the Transformers franchise is the tabloid gift that keeps on giving.

History has it that Fox said she left because she had decided “not to return”, and had other ‘opportunities’ to consider.

Fox told Wonderland magazine in 2009 that director Michael Bay “wants to be like Hitler on his sets” and that he’s “a nightmare to work for.”

“He’s like Napoleon and he wants to create this insane, infamous mad-man reputation,” she said. “He wants to be like Hitler on his sets, and he is. So he’s a nightmare to work for but when you get him away from set, and he’s not in director mode, I kind of really enjoy his personality because he’s so awkward, so hopelessly awkward. He has no social skills at all. And it’s endearing to watch him.”

A few months later she got the boot, and was replaced by Victoria’s Secret model Rosie Huntington-Whiteley for the upcoming third film, Transformers: Dark of the Moon.

Well, Bay, as was first reported yesterday, has now claimed that Fox got her marching orders after she trash-talked him in the media.

“She was in a different world, on her BlackBerry,” says Bay. “You gotta stay focused. And you know, the Hitler thing. Steven [Spielberg] said, ‘Fire her right now.’”

Fellow Transformers star Shia LaBeouf also has his say.

“Criticism is one thing,” he tells the magazine. “Then there’s public name-calling, which turns into high school bashing. Which you can’t do. She started s***-talking our captain.”

Earlier this month, LaBeouf also opened up to the Los Angeles Times about Fox’s exit.

“Mike films women in a way that appeals to a 16-year-old sexuality. It’s summer. It’s Michael’s style. And I think [Fox] never got comfortable with it. This is a girl who was taken from complete obscurity and placed in a sex-driven role in front of the whole world and told she was the sexiest woman in America. And she had a hard time accepting it,” he said.

“When Mike would ask her to do specific things, there was no time for fluffy talk. We’re on the run. And the one thing Mike lacks is tact. There’s no time for [LaBeouf assumes a gentle voice] ‘I would like you to just arch your back 70 degrees.’”

Transformers screenwriter Ehren Kruger also tells GQ magazine: “She was there for rehearsals. But she seemed like an actress who didn’t want to be a part of it. She was saying she wanted to, but she wasn’t acting like it.”

As for Fox’s Hitler remark, Bay says he wasn’t phased.

“I wasn’t hurt, because I know that’s just Megan,” he says. “Megan loves to get a response. And she does it in the wrong way. I’m sorry, Megan. I’m sorry I made you work 12 hours. I’m sorry that I’m making you show up on time. Movies are not always warm and fuzzy.”

He adds: “She sent me a text three months ago. She said, ‘I hope you’re doing well’,I responded, ‘Who is this?’ She goes, ‘Megan, you dork!’ I said, ‘Oh, well, thank you, hope you’re well.’ When you’re days and months on a set, it’s like a family. You say rude things and you make up.”